Our stories are long, so we get you up to speed with this video. It lives here on our frac sand project page: http://wisconsinwatch.org/series/frac-sand/ Or you can see the animated GIF version, annotated with comments from opposing camps on the issues: http://wisconsinwatch.org/2015/04/12-sandy-gifs-an-animated-guide-to-wisconsins-frac-sand-rush/

FULL verbatim interview @ http://www.WIvoices.org
Small business owner, Brenda Tabor-Adams, lives with her husband and 2-year-old son in a silica frac sand mining district between New Auburn and Chetek, WI. They are surrounded by mines. Two separate facilities are within a third of a mile and three more are within one mile of her once-quiet, rural property. In addition, several more mines are proposed or already operating nearby. Brenda's clients now compete with 1,000 sand trucks per day, or 20 trucks every 15 minutes, in order to get their horse trailers in and out of her property. With trucks running for 12 hours/day, 6 days/week, her life has been turned upside down. Dismissed as "collateral damage" by local officials, she fears for the environmental impact, the health of her family and neighbors and the sustainability of her small business. Tabor-Adams also details troubling issues that regular people face when dealing with multimillion dollar mining companies, including lawyers threatening lawsuits, town and county boards "stacked" with pro-sand officials, and the understaffing and underfunding of the Department of Natural Resources tasked to protect the land and the people. Brenda says, "Our government has failed us miserably..."

Sand mining is a threat to the environment. In this talk, Sumaira Abdulali, a bold and determined environmentalist, addresses it's ill effects and the changes one can bring about to reduce the impact of illegal sand mining on nature.
She is the founder of the NGO Awaaz Foundation and the Convener of the Movement against Intimidation, Threat and Revenge against Activists (MITRA). She is from a family of environmentalists, and is pioneer to many movements against noise pollution and illegal sand mining in India. Her bold ideas, determination and her compassion for the environment is what that inspires her to achieve her goals.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx

US farmers say sand mining destroying environment
Farmers in the US say the booming sand-mining industry is threatening their future. The sand is vital to help extract oil and gas from deep underground. However, environmental activists say the mining is having disastrous effects on the environment and livelihoods.
Al Jazeera’s John Hendren reports from Ottawa, Illinois.
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Wisconsin residents are trying to save their farms and their way of life from sand mines. Driving the boom in sand-mining, is the controversial method of extracting natural gas from underground shale, also known as fracking. Dean Reynolds reports.

Sand is in high demand in the construction sector. By 2020, 1.4 billion tonnes of sand will be required in India. Illegal and unscientific sand mining, however, adversely impact biodiversity and groundwater recharge besides increasing risks of flooding.
This video gives details of the sand mining sector.

Its not just drought and poor irrigation that's behind the severe hunger and starvation being witnessed in parts of Bundelkhand... In our special series What's Ailing Rural India, Archana Shukla explores the third major contributor to the crisis - illegal sand mining that's turning large tracts of fertile land into barrern waste..

In 2012 during a debate, Representative Warren Petryk had some "sage" advice for one of his constituents who's well water was contaminated by a nearby sand mine ... it's a real laugh riot! WATCH and then SHARE the humor with your friends! And then remember to vote November 4 for Jeff Smith for Assembly! Learn more at http://jeffsmithforassembly.com
Help us get this message out! Contribute to Jeff's campaign at https://secure.actblue.com/contribute/entity/27870

October 16, 2011, 3:00 PM. Highway 64, between Barron and Ridgeland, WI.
This video was shot by a family in Western Wisconsin. They were driving down a county road, past a frac sand mine, when they saw this. When new frac sand mines open, there's always a discussion about silica dust, because it's a carcinogen. Mine developers are usually quick to point out that dust isn't ever a public health problem, because the sand is either kept contained or kept wet, or both.

In Wisconsin, residents are having an emotional debate over fracking. The state is rich in a special kind of sand used in that controversial gas drilling technique, and mining companies are lining up to get to it. That means jobs, and lots of them. But some residents fear the sand mining boom is ruining their farmland -- not to mention their health. Dean Reynolds reports.

With frac sand mines becoming more present in the area we live and grew up at, we decided to make a film to show everyone what they look like here in Wisconsin. I've been lectured at my university about these, and that made for a unique this to then go see first hand and see the damage they cause.
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Music: sie fragen beat

The frac sand mining debate has, so far, focused on issues concerning costs, health and environmental degradation. But an often overlooked but critically important aspect of this divisive issue is simply: Is it the right thing to do?
At 7:00 pm on Tuesday, October 22, Dr. Donovan Hommen, ordained pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and retired clinical psychologist, discussed the topic: "Our Moralities and Frac Sand Mining." Dr. Hommen carefully sifted through and helped clarify the moral issues posed by large-scale frac sand mining that every citizen should be concerned about.
The issue and reality of frac sand mining has divided communities wherever silica sand can be mined. Some of these communities have become places where clear differences triggered by individual interests or deeply held convictions have caused conflict and strained relationships.
The debate has raged over economic impacts, health concerns and environmental degradation. But what's been missing from this debate is the chance for our citizens to come together and think carefully about the moral issues of this debate. What is the right thing to do? Whatever our points of view, surely this question deserves our serious attention.
This event was hosted by the Houston County Protectors.
Introduction: Michael Fields

September 22 Frac Sand Mining: Economic Impacts. Presented by Steven Deller. The UW-Extension community development economist reports on both the pros and cons of industrial frac sand mining. His talk will be based on an actual case study in a Wisconsin community.
This program is sponsored by T-Dubs.

Footage of an Augusta, Wisconsin Amish farmer demonstrating how the quality of his well water has declined since frac sand mining began adjacent to his farm. The mine is owned by Hi-Crush and has been operating for several years.

Among those familiar with fracking, many are not as familiar with frac sand mining -- the process by which industry removes, excavates, and processes silica sand for hydraulic fracturing across the country. Much of this activity is concentrated in the Midwest region of the U.S. and, consequently, impacts farmers and landowners in that region.
Join Halt the Harm to learn from Frac Sand Sentinel's Pat Popple, dairy farmer and impacted landowner Ken Schmitt and FracTracker’s Ted Auch. The speakers spoke to issues locally in Wisconsin and beyond and also discuss the current ongoing debates on impacts to health, residents, and the environment by the industry.

The hills of western Wisconsin supply 75 percent of the country’s frac sand market. Join the Wisconsin Chapter of the Society for Conservation Biology for a conversation on how frac sand mining impacts our ecological and agricultural landscapes here in Wisconsin.

Wayne Feyereisn, MD, FACP is a physician in internal medicine from Mayo Clinic in Rochester examines the factual information about the health risks of silica, acrylamide, and diesel particulates. This presentation was filmed at a public informational meeting on January 17, 2013 at the Four Seasons Community Center in Caledonia. The informational meeting focused on the economic impacts and health risks associated with frac sand mining. The meeting was hosted by The Houston County Protectors.

Bill Greendeer, a Ho-Chunk, Clan of the Deer member, speaking on frac sand mining and quoting the Ho-Chunk Nation's Resolution in opposition to frac sand mining.
Bill spoke at the Bridgeport Concerned Citizens public meeting on February 10, 2013, in Prairie du Chien, Crawford County, Wisconsin.

This time-lapse video shows the spectacular feat of turning west Texas ranch land into a state-of-the-art regional frac sand mine in just a few short months. Groundbreaking on the first of two Black Mountain Sand facilities in the Permian Basin started in June 2017, with the first commercial truckload rolling out of the Vest facility on January 22, 2018.
The Vest Mine is the opening chapter in the Black Mountain Sand story. The mine is named after the Vest family who homesteaded in Winkler County, Texas and built a successful ranch whose legacy has lasted for generations and continues today.
It is from this storied land that Black Mountain Sand has carved out a reserve base of over 1.5 billion tons of high-quality white frac sand. Today, our flagship product, Winkler White®, is helping meet the completion needs of E&P companies operating throughout the Permian Basin.
Since the Vest Mine opened for business, we are proud to have reached the 500 truck per day milestone. Once fully operational in mid-2018, Vest and its sister mine, El Dorado, will boast the largest mining capacity in the Permian Basin at 8,000,000 annual tons, which equates to approximately 320,000 truckloads worth of frac sand per year.
If you'd like to learn more about Black Mountain Sand, please visit the About Us link here, http://www.blackmountainsand.com/about-us/.

FULL verbatim interview @ http://www.WIvoices.org
Brenda Tabor-Adams provides inside details about life inside a frac sand mining district in rural Wisconsin. She explains the frustration of dealing with "stacked" town and county boards who have labeled her family "collateral damage" in the rush for sand. She describes dealings with pro-sand lawyers, the underfunded and understaffed DNR, mining companies and also feels abandoned by the government. Brenda claims that those left in the frac sand mining district, because they have been unable to sell their property, have been "thrown under the bus" by the push to deregulate the Wisconsin public policies in favor of mining interests.

See entire article at www.WIvoices.org
We've brought you a condensed video version of a small town meeting on frac sand mining. You will hear the concerns of people debating the pros and cons of annexing a proposed frac sand mining site to Glenwood City, WI. This meeting was held on February 25, 2013 and was informational, since no formal annexation request had been submitted prior to the meeting, and no action was taken by the city council.

They hopped on a tour bus to spread a message. The problem was it wasn't their bus.
At about 7:15 a.m. Wednesday, a coach bus pulled into the parking lot at the Earle Brown Heritage Center to take participants of an informational silica sand conference on a tour of sand mines in western Wisconsin. Before riders could get on, seven protesters climbed to the roof of the bus and refused to move.
The group was protesting the growth of industrial silica sand mining in Wisconsin and southeastern Minnesota. This type of sand is ideal for use in hydrofracking, a technique in which a pressurized mixture of water, sand and chemicals is injected into rock formations to keep cracks open. Natural gas is extracted from those cracks.
Activists from southern Minnesota and Iowa said they tried to prevent the tour to highlight environmental and health risks of sand mining.
Jake Olzen of Lake City said he has concerns about how groundwater might be affected by runoff from the sediment. He said he also worries about chemicals used in the process.
"The silica sand dust, it's a carcinogen that can cause silicosis," said Olzen. "And if you go into towns like Winona, the dust flies off of the trucks that come barreling through. In Winona there are hundreds of trucks a day and it just coats roads and cars."
According to the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency's website, health and DNR officials in Minnesota and Wisconsin don't have enough data yet to determine exactly what health risks frac sand mining pose to the public.
Researchers at the University of Minnesota-Duluth organized the conference with the Society for Mining, Metallurgy and Exploration. They said the conference was designed as an educational event to inform the public about sand mining as Minnesota and Wisconsin experience the rush to expand and develop sand mines for the purpose of hydrofracking.
The silica sand mine bus tour was the finale of a three-day informational silica sand conference at the Earle Brown Heritage Center. About 60 protesters gathered in front of the center for the first day of the conference Monday. Brooklyn Center police said they were well-behaved and no one was arrested that day.
Police say Wednesday's protesters were cooperative and came down after about an hour.
"All they wanted was to get their message out," said Brooklyn Park Police Commander Tim Gannon. 'Then, once a ladder was brought up, we informed them that they would be arrested because of the assembly and also the trespass and they said that was fine and that they would come down willingly.
UMD researcher and geology professor Jim Miller said the conference was open to the public and anyone could have attended as long as they paid the registration fee. Conference attendees included engineers and other people on the industry side, as well as people from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, University of Wisconsin-River Falls and Winona State.
Miller told 12 News he admires the protesters' passion about the earth.
"I'm passionate about the earth, too," said Miller. "But I realize that, as a geologist, I understand how we use the earth for everyday lives."
Renee Banot
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12 News is on Comcast cable channel 12 in the northwest suburbs of Minneapolis and includes the cities Brooklyn Center, Brooklyn Park, Crystal, Golden Valley, Maple Grove, New Hope, Osseo, Plymouth and Robbinsdale.

Wisconsin Public Radio recently reported that the reclamation of a Chippewa County frac sand mine was successfully transformed into a wild prairie over the course of three years. WisconsinEye has past coverage of frac sand mining in Wisconsin that discusses the economic, environmental and social impacts.
Watch a 2012 Newsmakers on frac sand mining in Wisconsin: https://bit.ly/2Jw9VrO
Watch a 2013 WCA Educational Seminar on frac sand mining with the local government perspective: https://bit.ly/2No10Ll

An economist answers the question, "How long will the frac sand jobs last?"
Read Dr. Power's new study of the industry here:
http://www.iatp.org/documents/the-economic-benefits-and-costs-of-frac-sand-mining-in-west-central-wisconsin
Thomas Power received his PhD in Economics from Princeton University
He is a research professor at Montana State University, where he served
as Chairman of the Economics Department and taught for 40 years. He
is an expert in the field of Natural Resource and Regional Economics, has
authored six books, and has testified before state and federal regulatory
agencies. More information on Dr. Power can be found at:
www.powerconsulting.com

Full story at WIvoices.org
In this video, former Glenwood City Principal Julian Bender presents the referendum petition and each city council member responds. A referendum would allow residents "to be involved in the process" prior to a land annexation by the western Wisconsin city. However, some council members believe that implementing a new mining ordinance should come first.
Glenwood City may annex the Teigen/Crosby land in order to allow TX company Vista Sand to operate a silica frac sand mine in that location. The potential mine would be located within 1/2 mile from the public school with 650 children and hundreds of staff.

UPDATED PRESENTATION: Wayne Feyereisn, MD, FACP is a physician in internal medicine from Mayo Clinic in Rochester examines the factual information about the health risks of silica, acrylamide, and diesel particulates. This presentation was filmed at a public informational meeting on March 7, 2013 at the St. Charles Elementary School in St. Charles, MN.The meeting was hosted by Concerned Citizens for St. Charles. To download Dr. Feyereisn"s PowerPoint presentation please visit www.sandpointtimes.com

The Wisconsin Farmers Union, Wisconsin Towns Association and the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP) invite you to join Dr. Thomas Power, mining expert and principle author of The Economic Benefits and Costs of Frac-Sand Mining in West Central Wisconsin, for a webinar on Thursday, May 30 at 10:00 a.m. (CST) when he will review the findings of his first-of-its kind report on the economic realities of frac sand mining in Wisconsin. The report was commissioned by Wisconsin Farmers Union, the Wisconsin Towns Association and the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP).
Dr. Power will focus on how frac sand mining affects communities, the economy and rural livelihoods and outline a series of questions that communities need to have answers for when assessing the cost and benefits of frac sand mining.
Dr. Thomas Power, Professor Emeritus in the Economics Department at the University of Montana, has a long history of research on the economics of the mining industry.
Download a copy of the report at: http://www.iatp.org/frac-report

Sand-mining along the shores is being blamed for major erosion which has been happening in Nigeria. The government of Lagos has been trying to regulate the process. Although only a small number of companies are licensed to dredge sand, scores of others, take it illegally. AL Jazeera's Rawya Rageh reports from Nigeria's commerical capital, Lagos.

Frac sand mining opponent Lynn Schoen didn't know until the last minute that she would be allowed to testify before the Minnesota House Mining Committee. That's because the committee's chair, Rep. Tom Hackbarth (R-Cedar) originally said only industry groups would be allowed to testify about the controversial mining that fuels the oil fracking industry in states such as North Dakota, but can create serious environmental problems in Minnesota.
Schoen and several others were given time only after Hackbarth decided to skip testimony from the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and allow non-industry groups 15 minutes. The big mining companies had been given more than an hour of time to state their case.
Schoen got about 90 seconds and made the most of it.
Schoen is also a council member in Wabasha, a town that sees many frac sand mining trucks on its streets. She says the problem is not the large sand producers who testified before the committee because they are "good guys" who follow the rules.
"What scares little towns like mine are the is the little cowboy guys that just come in and do what they want to do," said Schoen. Other testifiers had said trucks filled with sand drive through towns and don't always cover their loads, which releases particulates into the air.
Schoen says because the committee only invited the big producers to speak, they're not seeing the whole picture.
She also said Gov Dayton is no longer inviting local governments such as Wabasha to be part of the discussion on how to regulate frac sand mining.
She chastised the committee for listening to a paid witness from one of the mining companies testify on particulates and not reaching out to the University of Minnesota which she says is a world leader on studying particulates.
Schoen closed by saying "Dear god, next time would you please invite us to the table and don't assume northern Minnesota is the same as southern Minnesota," which drew a round of applause from those in the audience.